Tina Williams Brewer: July 2021
Tina Williams Brewer: July 2021
Tina Williams Brewer reimagines oral stories and histories into visual representations, in essence, a fiber art ‘lukasa’ or memory board that conveys the soul of a story in order to preserve the cultural past. “It is essential that through my collaborations my work helps to foster a curiosity that consistently connects and reflects the contemporary African American to the ancient African past.” Brewer continues, “through my work I tell a story, carrying messages from ancestors. It is an expression of the deep pain of racism and the pathways forward, the resilience of African American families and the light that lifts them up.”
An exemplary collaborator and teaching artist, Brewer empowers all participants (teachers, parents, students, and all other stake holders) to become more mindful as the stitching progresses and creates a platform for meditation. It is important to Brewer that her work helps everyone to recognize the importance of quilts and their place in African American history and culture as well as the strength of a collective vision.
Brewer’s inspiring quilts, beginning nearly 40 years ago in 1987 with the exhibition of The Harvest, have been exhibited around the globe and her art is in many private collections as well as the permanent collections of numerous local, state, national and international museums. Currently her work may be seen at the DeBuck Gallery in New York City ( debuckgallery.com ) or on her Instagram tinabrewerdesigns.
In the past year alone, Brewer has participated in shows and panel discussions at the Huntington Museum of Art, the Westmoreland Museum of Art, Penn State Hamden Medical Center, the EXPO Chicago Art Curated
Selection, Christie’s at Rockefeller Plaza, Women of Visions 40th Anniversary Exhibit at the Frick Gallery at the University of Pittsburgh, Morris Museum in New Jersey, the Wells International Foundation and was a standout selection featured at the I-54 Online Contemporary Art Fair. She is currently preparing new work for shows in Berkley, California, Cape Town, South Africa, and Indiana University of PA, UNTITLED, ART, Miami 2021, and a one woman show at the Westmoreland Museum of Art in February 2022.
Tina Williams Brewer was born in 1949 in Huntington, West Virginia. She graduated from Columbus College of Art and Design with a Bachelor of Arts. She has lived, worked and has been an active member of the Homewood community (in the east end of Pittsburgh) for almost 50 years.
Website: tinawilliamsbrewer.com
Instagram: @tinabrewerdesigns
Through my work I tell a story, carrying messages from ancestors. My work is a celebration of the profound joy of gathering with loved ones and the strength of spiritual connections. It is an expression of the deep pain of racism and the pathways forward, the resilience of African American families and the light that lifts them up.
My intention is to give dignity to human suffering, finding rhythms that are both mind-stirring and soul-soothing. When I create a piece, I need silence to listen to the words inside myself. As a woman, and as an African American, looking for a place of peace and calm, I channel those messages in a visual interpretation. My designs are a free-flow approach to quilting akin to the crazy quilt patchwork and applique traditions that use layers of fabric to tell a story. The works are primarily hand-quilted mixed-media, and include photo transfer images, beading and scraps of commercial and handmade cloth. Each piece is embellished with symbols and articulated with rich colors and patterns that have personal and cultural meanings, acting as a reminder of the often-obscured African American story.
Upcoming Projects:
Westmoreland Museum of American Art, January 2022, Solo show in downstairs gallery
Indiana University of Pennsylvania, featured artist in group show, September - November 2022
Participant in Women of Visions, 40th Anniversary Show, University of Pittsburgh, Frick Gallery, Fall 2021
